LABOUR’S biggest individual donor is calling on Ed Miliband to hold a referendum on Europe if he wins power in May.

Ed Miliband is under pressure from one of his top donors to push for an EU referendum should he win

John Mills claims the public would not forgive the Labour leader if he did not give them a say on the future of the country.

He believes the prospect of a referendum is the only way that Britain can win back powers from the EU.

Shopping magnate Mr Mills, chairman of JML who gave Labour a £1.65million donation in shares in 2013, will tell a cross-party conference this week: “If the Labour Party wins the election in May without committing to an EU referendum, we may have unwittingly pushed Britain closer to the EU exit door.

“Europe is likely to fare poorly over the next five years and an emerging UK centre-right coalition made up of the Tories and Ukip will garner significant support from an increasingly Eurosceptic British public by 2020.

If my party is truly committed to remaining in the EU it may well be best for it to commit to holding a referendum while it is in office and in charge of the agenda.”

If the Labour Party wins the election in May without committing to an EU referendum, we may have unwittingly pushed Britain closer to the EU exit door

“Minds in Brussels are much more likely to take renegotiation seriously if they know that there is a substantial risk the UK will leave the EU if there is not a satisfactory deal.

“Businesses want Britain to renegotiate a better deal with Europe and they know that the prospect of a referendum will help to achieve this objective.

“They feel strongly that they are over-regulated and over 50 per cent believe the single market is more trouble than it is worth.

“Whether they want to remain in the EU or they want to leave, there are many in the Labour Party who are united in their belief that the British people must be given an EU referendum to put this issue to bed once and for all.”